Sugarcube
by candybar379
Summary: Applejack is a well-mannered, down to earth mare. She values her family and friends, and loves to help others. But while she and Fluttershy are lost in the Everfree forest, she tells of her tragic backstory, her worst memories and the reason she always wears her hat. Thanks a ton to StarWarrior72, for editing my story. You're a lifesaver!


Sugarcube

A day on the Apple Family Farm was peaceful in a busy sort of way.

In the morning, ponies would go about their business, feeling no need to break the silence that still lay over the farm, most of the animals drowsing in there stalls, the birds only just beginning to chirp.

By and by they would start cooking the family breakfast, all of them pitching in with their separate jobs. With Apple Bloom washing and cutting the apples, Granny Smith mixing the batter, Big Mac flipping the pancakes and Applejack setting the table, the mouth-watering meal seemed to make itself. Then, around the table, they would eat and talk about what had to be done, who would do it, and little surprises that the night had offered them. This very morning, Big Mac had found the first of the new apples on one of the trees, a sure sign that it was almost summer.

When breakfast was done and cleared up, the four ponies went about their daily lives with a relaxed contentedness that could come only from the simplicity of 'just-another-day'. But Applejack smiled to herself as she trotted through the fields, for she knew something that only one surrounded by the joy of nature could truly accept: every day was new and exciting if you knew where to look.

It was a bright and sunny day, the sky was clear of clouds and a certain rainbow pony could be seen swooping around in the bright blue sky. Silent with the wonder that sometimes filled her on a day such as this on, AJ watched her friend soar through the sky. Rainbow Dash was going at a considerable pace; the trail of her flight was traced with the gleam and shimmer of rainbows.

Applejack had a brief thought of trying to catch Rainbow's attention with a wave, but on the off chance she noticed such a small thing from so high up, she might see it as an invitation. And, though the day was sweet and friendly, Applejack felt just now she wasn't quite ready to speak to anypony. So she continued her trot.

Though there was lots of work to be done, AJ was having a hard time getting to it today. Much as she loved the feeling that a hard day's work gave her, she was reluctant to end this peaceful moment of hers. The sun rose higher in the sky, and she trotted on. She knew where this path lead to, and where she was aiming for. She was heading to Fluttershy's cottage. Out of her five friends, Fluttershy was the one she knew she could talk to nature about. Talk about her perfect stroll. Talk about life on the farm. And Fluttershy would listen, and nod, and pour them both tea, and, if her mood was right and she felt like it, she too would talk about her life, while so different from Applejack's, was still so interwoven with nature that the two of them could both offer advice and understand in a way that nopony else could.

A few minutes more and the cottage came into view, and there was Fluttershy, gathering the eggs and singing quietly. AJ slowed her pace and listened carefully, and the wordless melody of the song played its way into her heart. I was like the sweet tune of a song bird, but with a new touch, a gentle, motherly touch. It reminded Applejack of something, but just as she tried to reach back into her memories for whatever she had just thought of, Fluttershy's voice called her to reality.

"Good morning, Applejack," said the shy mare. She had emerged from the hen house, with a basket full of eggs and a feather in her hair, "Isn't it just lovely this morning?"

"Nicest day I've seen in a while," said AJ, trotting over, "Nice and warm, the perfect weather for growing apples!"

Fluttershy smiled, "The animals are thriving…I have almost too many eggs to use! And the bunnies just welcomed a new litter…come inside and meet the little darlings, won't you?"

"With pleasure."

Fluttershy lead the way into the cozy living room. There was the faint smell of new life in the air, and in a basket by the table a mother rabbit lay with four babies. Three of the babies had caramel fur like their mother, the last was snowy white.

"They're beautiful," whispered Applejack. The tiny little creatures truly were gorgeous, in a way only some could appreciate. She turned to Fluttershy, and smiled, "That's the prettiest darn thing I've seen all day, sugarcube," she wiped her damp eyes, "You've got me tearing up over this."

Fluttershy looked from the bunnies to Applejack, then blinked, "Oh, how rude of me, I didn't even offer you a drink. I made some iced tea last night. We could drink it outside."

Applejack nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. It wasn't like her to be so teary-eyed over things, she thought as she followed Fluttershy out onto the lawn. Celestia's sun was at its highest in the sky now, gracing all of Equestria with its light. AJ scanned the wide expanse of blue, but she didn't see Rainbow Dash.

The two mares sat on the bridge in the sun, and, drinking cool tea and eating buttercups, they chatted till the sun began to sink in the sky. Clouds glided in above them and soon the sky was grey. It wasn't till the first raindrops began to fall with wet 'plops' onto the grass that they agreed to continue their chat indoors. But indoors the new baby bunnies were sleeping, so Fluttershy insisted they keep it down. They tried upstairs, but the rain was now pounding on the roof and windows, and making so much noise that neither could hear the other without shouting.

Assuming it was merely a summer storm that would blow itself out shortly, Applejack decided to wait it out. But as the minutes passed and the storm only got worse, she had to admit that the only choice seemed to be to head out now, or be forced to stay the night. Fluttershy offered of course, but Applejack was a county girl with good manners and common sense. She didn't want to over stay her welcome, and she didn't want to worry her family back home. With a pang of guilt, she reminded herself that she hadn't even told them where she was heading, except 'out for a stroll'. She said goodbye to Fluttershy and, gripping her hat to her head, began the slow and very wet trudge home.

After only fifteen minutes, she was soaked to the bone. By twenty, she was wishing she'd asked for rope to tie her hat on. After 30 minutes, she was seriously considering turning around and walking back to Fluttershy's. But all she had to do was think of her family, sitting at home worrying about her, and she would start again, with new energy in her hooves, and one thought in her mind._ Just keep going…just keep going._

The winds that swept over her now had the chill of night on them, and the sky got, if possible, even darker. She squinted though the rain that the cruel wind threw against her, staring towards her goal…

And then she saw it. A red blob on the horizon, outlined by trees. _The barn!_ She thought, pushing ahead with new force, and then…

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. She couldn't quite place it, but though the howling wind she heard screams, blown her way. And the snapping of wood. And...

_No._ Bracing herself for what she might see, she began to gallop full out, past the fields of apple trees, bending in the wind. Over the hills, leaping the fences, no time to find the gates. Her hooves pounded on the mud.

She pulled to a halt, just past the chicken coops, staring up at the barn. It was tottering dangerously in the wind. She pulled herself together and ran to the door, thinking desperately of getting her family out; knowing that there was no way the old barn could survive the storm. But just as she was about to brave the swaying building, a faint call reached her ears.

"_Over here! We're over here!" _

AJ turned, glancing around, then realized the call had come from the storage sheds. They themselves were not very structurally sound, but each had a deep cellar where they would be safe from the storms wrath. She rushed over and inside, then down the trapdoor. It was not much darker here than it had been above, and she could see the shapes of…Big Mac…Granny Smith…and Apple Bloom. Her eyes filled with tears. They were all okay!

Her family surrounded her. Strong steady hooves were wrapping a blanket round her shoulders, Granny Smith was yelling, "Where in hayseeds were 'ya?" and Apple Bloom was hugging her middle so tight it hurt.

She choked out the words "Fluttershy…lost track of time…sorry…", but the tears in her grandma's eyes were of relief, not anger, and with the blanket and her family around her, she soon felt quite warm.

She didn't know how long they slept, but the reason for their sudden awakening was clear. From above them there came the sound of cracking, splinting wood, then an earth shaking _crash._ There was a tense moment, where they stood with their breath held waited for the roof to cave in, but it didn't. They all relaxed.

"That was the barn." Applejack muttered.

"Eeyup."

"Knew we should have bought new wood 'stead of re-cycling the old stuff."

"Eeyup."

They sat silently, listening to the rain above them.

Now that worst was over, the storm was beginning to fade. The wind died down, the rain was now only a murmur.

It was Apple Bloom who said it first. "If the barn fell in, all our things will be soaked!"

"Or blown away," said Applejack with a grimace, "Granny Smith, you wait here with Apple Bloom. Me and Big Macintosh will check the damage."

It was a mark of how serious the situation was that neither Apple Bloom or Granny Smith complained or tried to stop them as they headed back up the stairs. Big Mac went first, and luckily so, because although the barn had fallen several yards away, the tower had fallen practically on top of their hiding spot. Soggy, broken boards had to be pushed out of the way before they could even leave.

Once they were out of the cellar, they stood and surveyed the damage. The shed they had been in had been crushed, apples and corn littered the muddy ground, hours of hard work wasted. The barn itself was in pieces, it looked even worse than previous times she'd seen it fall down (and she had to admit that disasters like that tended to happen a bit more often than expected). This time it was the 'recycled wood' that they had used to remake the barn after the last mishap like this. The boards of wood themselves were strong, but the framework, the 'skeleton' if you will, was the weak link that had brought the whole thing literally crashing around there heads. The damage to the other buildings was less, but the barn was their home, not to mention the place they stored family heirlooms intrusted to them by generations past.

And so they began the impossible rescue mission, digging through the rubble and searching for cookbooks, photo albums, and old files. Everything they found was soaked, the ink had run and the papers had formed blotched and soggy lumps. It seemed hopeless, even with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith helping. They worked till the sun had come out. Applejack felt ready to collapse, she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open…

"APPLEJACK!"

That woke her up.

"APPLEJACK!"

She stared around her, then suddenly…_whump!_

Something very large collided with her; she landed with a '_splat'_ in the mud. She blinked stars, her head throbbed. Above her, something blue…

"Rainbow? That you?" She muttered groggily, rubbing her head.

Her energetic friend was hovering above her, flapping her winds and glancing around, "Whoa, what happened here? Looks bad, but I can't stay to help, and you have to come too and-," she took a breath. "Is Big Mac busy?"

Applejack grabbed a hold of the hoof Rainbow offered to her, and with a sticky _slurp! _she was pulled out of the mud.

"What _are _you going on about, sugarcube?" she said as she tried her best to wipe the mud that clung to her flank off.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes impatiently, the said in a sarcastic voice; "Well, there was this BIG storm last night, and well, one of our friends happens to live in a tree, so-"

"Is Twilight okay?" asked Apple Bloom, who had hurried over.

"Well she's fine, but her books are getting wet and…oh come on AJ, we need to help her!"

Applejack sighed. She needed to help her family, but she also needed to help her friends. Not to mention that that library was also Princess Celestia's, and there was no way she wanted to let the ancient books get ruined. Despite the princess's kindness, Applejack was still worried she might disappoint the her somehow. With a jolt she remembered that Twilight was also a princess and-

"So are you coming or not?" asked Rainbow irritably, hovering with her arms crossed.

With another sigh, AJ turned to Apple Bloom, "Sugercube, I'm sorry, but I need to do this. Run 'n' tell Big Mac and Granny, and I'll be back by sunset."

Applejack turned and headed for the road to Ponyville, trying to ignore the guilt that prickled at her as she galloped. The storm wasn't her fault. But a voice at the back of her head reminded her, she _hadn't_ exactly been at the farm yesterday when her family needed her, and here she was, leaving them again in a time of great need.

Lost in these miserable thoughts, she began to slow her pace till she was barley trotting. She was exhausted; she just wanted a good solid meal and a warm bed.

A bright flash caught her eye, Rainbow had doubled back to check on her, "Hurry up, slowpoke, Twilight's practically crying!"

"Just let me grow some wings and fly over!" she bellowed back, but Dash was already far out of earshot. Her heart wasn't in it anyway, thinking of Twilight, and she sped up to a gallop.

The tree house loomed above her, and AJ instantly saw the problem. The tallest branch that had once supported the balcony where Twilight had kept her telescope was broken in two, the balcony dangling dangerously. The library itself tilted precariously to the right, the roots of the old tree practically ripped out of the muddle soil. Twilight was standing in front, her purple magic surrounding it, clearly straining to keep it up. She glanced around at the sound of hooves, lost her consternation, and the tree house tilted another few inches before she caught it again. The other ponies must be helping too, for pile of books were sitting on a tarp nearby, and as she watched, Rarity came out of the tilting door way, supporting a stack of volumes with her magic. She was wearing rubber boots but still flinched when her feet sunk into the mud. She set the books down and spotted Applejack.

"Don't just stand there, help!" she said irritably, wincing at the grime on Applejack's coat.

It was a long process, getting all of the books to safety. Very few had been damaged, but all had to be moved. When the ponies had done so, they righted the house and repaired the cracks. It was late afternoon by the time they'd finished, and it had started to drizzle. They all sat down to rest in the library as Twilight replaced the books on the shelves.

"I never want to see another book in my life!" Rainbow groaned as she massaged her back.

"I'll need a full day spa trip to get all the mud out of my mane!" Rarity whined.

Twilight sighed and sat down, looking thoroughly exhausted, "Thank you all very much for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you."

They all chorused 'You're welcome' in weary voices.

"I'm plum tuckered. I should be heading out. Now, where'd I put my hat?" Applejack glanced around.

"Maybe you left it at the farm in your hurry?" Rarity asked as she groomed her mane.

"You weren't wearing it when I went there," Rainbow Dash mused.

"Did you leave it at my cottage last night?" asked Fluttershy in her usually whisper.

But Applejack hadn't. She wracked her brain, her panic growing with each second. _Where had her hat gone?_ She couldn't remember having it last night, or in the morning, or at all since…since… she wasn't sure when.

"I have to find it!" she mumbled through the lump in her throat, then louder- "I _have _to find it!"

Rainbow shifted her position to better see her distressed friend. "We can probably get you a new one, or Rarity could make you one or…" she trailed off.

But Applejack ignored this. Her heart was pounding, her breathing shallow.

"Where did you leave it?" asked Twilight, all calm and logical.

"I…don't…" AJ felt lost.

Fluttershy looked worried, "Did it fall off when you were walking home?"

Applejack jumped up, "We have to find it! We have too!"

"Chill, it's just a hat," said Rainbow, looking slightly alarmed at her friends outburst.

But Fluttershy, who was looking concerned, shot Rainbow a look, "Was it a special hat?"

"Well it must have been, she wore it all the time," broke in Rarity, "All the time. Even Rainbow doesn't wear her goggles all the time; Twilight doesn't wear her crown…at all."

Applejack was still fighting not to cry, "It was very special," she muttered to her hooves.

Twilight, always the leader, began issuing orders, "Rainbow, you and I can check the path from the farm to Fluttershy's cottage. Pinkie, use your logic defying speed and go tell the Apple family and check the farm. Rarity, you can check the library, then Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy-"

"I'll stay here with Applejack," said Fluttershy, putting a wing around her.

Twilight nodded, then followed the other ponies out the door. Applejack closed her eyes, trying to remember where she had left her hat and not to imagine what might have happened to it.

_What if it blew into the evergreen forest and got ripped to shreds by wild animals? What if it got blown away, it could be anywhere? What if…_

She stood up. She couldn't just sit here, not while her hat might be getting farther and farther from her. Fluttershy looked up.

"I have to go. I have to find it."

"Oh, Applejack, I know it's special but can't you trust the others to-"

"No! I mean…It's not about trust…well it is…but…can't you help me find it?"

Fluttershy looked like she might try to stop her, maybe even tell her she was being stupid. Rainbow would have. But instead she stood up, braced herself, and walked to Applejack's side.

"I'd love to help you," said the shy mare, smiling bravely, "We can find it."

Together, in silence, they headed for Fluttershy's cottage.

By the time they reached it, Rarity had caught up with them. Fluttershy gave her a questioning look, but Rarity just shook her head. She looked tired, too tired even to care about the mud on her boots. Applejack's own exhaustion had been pushed aside by her panic about her hat.

They separated without a word at the cottage, Rarity heading inside, AJ and Fluttershy walking past. The Everfree Forest loomed ahead, dark and foreboding. The drizzle had turned to rain; it soaked their manes and coats. As they passed the fence line and entered the forest, Applejack expected her companion to pause or even stop, but Fluttershy continued without a word.

The forest was dark, but the leaves blocked some of the rain. The ground was nothing but mud. They walked around, searching for a few minutes, before Fluttershy quietly suggested that she fly overhead. Applejack nodded in agreement, watched the mare flutter into the sky, and then continued to walk.

Without the Fluttershy walking beside her, the forest seemed much darker. The trees loomed above her, the muck grabbed at her hooves, and through her haze of panic, she could feel the eyes of the forest animals on her. She gulped and, out of habit, raised a hand to a just her hat. It wasn't there. The tough, country girl part of her told her not to cry. The lost, scared little girl in her was having a hard time.

"Applejack!"

She looked up, blinking away tears.

"Applejack, I think I found your hat!"

It was Fluttershy! She broke into a hard gallop, not feeling the rain that beat down on her or the branches that tugged at her fur. But as she began to grow closer to the clearing the voice had come from, she heard another noise. A bone chilling, heart stopping, high pitched scream for help.

She raced faster along the muddy path. What had happened to Fluttershy? Cursing her stupidity, she slid into the clearing and gasped.

Four fully-grown timberwolves towered above her. Their glowing eyes stared down at her, their sharp teeth dripping with a sticky, glutinous substance…tree sap. The foul odor of their breath filled the clearing, smelling like rot, decay and old meat. Her stomach churned. One of them, the smallest, had Fluttershy in its mouth, dangling from her wing. She seemed to be unconscious. Applejack hoped she was, rather than dead.

She registered all this in barely a second, but before she could act, they had pounced. The sharp sticks that made up their bodies jabbed her, one bit her head, she felt the teeth pierce her skin. She fought hard, but knew it was a losing battle. Just as she began to weaken, awaiting death, she remembered.

She wasn't only fighting for herself. She was fighting for Fluttershy too. The thought gave her strength.

She fought her way to the edge of the clearing, with the vague intention of baiting the wolves to bash into trees, or something. But as she watched, she realized the wolves had not stopped as she fled, they were now simply fighting each other. She glanced around for Fluttershy and spotted her, lying on the ground at the edge of the clearing. Applejack ran to her, heart in her throat, and breathed again only when she saw the gentle rise and fall of the pony's chest. Glancing backwards, she saw the timberwolves continuing to fight. She summoned her remaining strength and lifted Fluttershy onto her back. And…there was her hat. Fluttershy must have found it before the wolves attacked, the only reason she would have returned to the ground. It was a bit muddy, a bit flattened, but it was, most definitely, her hat. She scooped it up in her teeth and trudged out of the clearing.

What came next was a haze of rain, tired relief, and throbbing pain. She was still bleeding quite a bit, and her hooves ached with every step. The sun seemed to have gone down, for it was now so dark she couldn't see an inch in front of her face.

Finally, when she felt she could go no farther, she stopped, slid Fluttershy off, and sat down. Where was she? She had tried to follow the path she'd taken into the forest, or at least put as much distance between herself and those Timberwolves. But now, deep in the middle of nowhere, she was regretting her choice. It was too dark now to try and find a way out.

She pulled the soggy moss at the base of an old tree into a sort of nest, the laid Fluttershy in it. She was still breathing; her only injury seemed to be her wing. Applejack laid her hat down as a pillow, then curled up next to her on the moss. It wasn't the warmest or softest bed, thought Applejack as she pulled the yellow pegasus towards her. But, when it came down to it, there were worse ponies to be stranded in the forest with. These were her last, sleepy thoughts, before she fell into a dreamless slumber.

She awoke to a sharp prodding in the side. She opened sleepy eyes to see Fluttershy above her, looking downright terrified. She stared into Applejacks eyes and mouthed the words _Where are we?_

Applejack sat up. Her head ached, she rubbed it gingerly.

"We're in the Everfree Forest. I'm not sure exactly where," she sighed, put a hoof on her friends shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Calm down, sugercube. It's gonna be fine. How's your wing? Can you fly?"

Fluttershy shook her head wordlessly, still staring around worriedly at the trees. She jumped at every sound, and shook like a leaf.

Applejack withdrew her hoof. "I'm sorry I had to put you through all this Fluttershy. It's just that this here hat is very special to me, 'cause see, my parents gave it to me, before they, you know…" she looked down, not wanting to meet her friend's eyes.

They sat in silence for a few moments before she had the courage to look up. Fluttershy was watching her, all fear forgotten, with a kind of motherly sympathy. Her voice came as a peep, "Oh Applejack, I never wanted to ask, none of us wanted to upset you…what happened? If…if you don't mind me asking…"

And she didn't mind. Some part of her, deep inside, the part that hurt most from her parent's deaths, had always wanted to tell somepony. She couldn't mention the subject around her family, nopony ever did, since the day it had happened they hadn't mentioned it in the house. Maybe they thought Apple Bloom wasn't ready to handle it, even though she had been only a baby when it happened. Her friends never talked about it, they seemed to have some understanding of it, but they too treated it as though nothing had ever happened. But now, in the company of the best listener in all of Equestria, she began to talk.

"It all started, I suppose, with me. I was a foolish pony, and now I know it, but I paid dearly for that lesson. I had just heard the story of how Granny Smith had found the zap apples in the Everfree Forest. Now we weren't allowed to go in there, me and Big Mac, but I was hankering for adventure and I figured that if I went deep enough into the forest, I could find myself some magical fruit and make apple family history. I gathered my saddle bags, and took some apples to eat along the way, and I headed out. Now only my big brother knew I was going out, and he tried to stop me, but I was hell bent on exploring every last inch of that big old forest till I found myself some new discovery. I knew it was easy for a pony to get lost in there, so I brought some of granny's yarn, bright yellow, and I would tie bits of it around trees and branches, and I made myself a trail. And when my parents noticed that I was gone, and my saddle bags weren't on their peg, and they put two and two together, and then they talked to Big Mac, and then…" Applejack paused, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, "They went into the forest."

At this point she glanced at Fluttershy, only to look away. Fluttershy was crying silently, tears streaming down her face. Seeing this, her last resistance fell, and tears began to spill from her own eyes. But she continued as best as she could, pausing every once and awhile to dry her eyes.

"I was deep in the forest by then, and I was having a…a good time. I had eaten one of the apples, I hadn't met any wild beasts, and the forest was warm and balmy on a summer's day like that one. Anyhow, my parents found my trail pretty quick, and they followed it best they could. They stuck together, they went quietly, they were careful where I was not.

"Well, they caught up with me eventually, but it was already late in the day by then, and night is when the really bad creatures wake up in the forest. So they were in a hurry to get me out, and it wouldn't have been very difficult if I hadn't been so stupid. They were mad, and I was upset with them, and I tried to run away a few times, and that got us off track real quick. And before we knew it, we were lost. And that's when it began to get dark for real now, and I was scared, so my dad did what he would always do when the monsters of my imagination made me fearful-he took off his hat, and he put it on me, and it made me feel brave in a way that nothing else could. And we went walking on, and my little hooves got so tired I had to ride on my daddy's back, and that made him tired, so he would rest while my Mom checked a bit ahead in the path, then we would follow. And that was a bad choice; we should've know not to split up, not in the Everfree Forest. So we were waiting for my mom to get back when we heard a scream," Applejack screwed up her eyes, trying to forget the sound of her mother's last cry for help. "The timberwolves had her, but she stopped screaming right away, and then it was eerie silent. And my dad…he found a dead tree with hollowed out roots, and he…"she stopped again, willing herself to stop crying. "He pushed me down under it, there was only room for one little filly in there, and then…he…he patted the hat on my head, his hat, and he said, he said 'We love you, always know that sugarcube,' And then he went to go find mom. And couldn't move for fear, but when I heard his scream, I knew it was all over. And I stayed there, all I could do was stare at the branches above me, waiting, hoping beyond hope that they would come back…but they didn't. When morning came I realized that I had spent all night staring up at one of the pieces of yellow yarn I'd tied as a trail. And I followed it…and I got home."

As she finished her tale, she realized that Fluttershy had put her wing around her again. The gentle pressure of it was comforting. She put her own hoof around Fluttershy, and together they cried till they could cry no more. Then Applejack said, in a small voice- "I was a dreamer when I was young. Took nothing seriously. Never did my chores, played pretend and watched clouds. After this, I was like a new mare. No longer head in the clouds, instead, all four hooves planted on the ground."

Fluttershy spoke then, in a voice even more silent than before, muffled by tears. "I…I never knew that Applejack, but I…"She hiccoughed- "I think you're still the same Applejack you were before, just smarter. Steadier. The kind of Applejack others need, not the kind of Applejack just you need," she sniffled her way into silence. But Applejack had understood. She hugged Fluttershy tight to her for a moment, then stood up.

"We need to find a way out of here," she said as she put her hat on.

Suddenly Fluttershy gasped. Applejack looked down at her. Slowly, she raised one pastel yellow hoof, and Applejack's eyes followed it.

There on a twig, not two feet in front of them, a scrap of faded yellow yarn quivered in the breeze.

No words passed between them as they followed the track home. The path became more and more clear the closer they got, they encountered no wild animals. With a simultaneous sigh of relief, they stepped out into the sun, their hooves on Apple Family soil once more.

They had only gone a few paces before something very pink and fluffy collided with them, pulling them both into a giant hug.

"Pinkie? That you?"

"Omigosh omigosh omigosh, we were so SUPER worried, are you both okay? We didn't know where you had gone; we thought we'd lost you both forever...hey! You found your hat!"

The ponies were running from all over, adding their hooves to the smothering hug. Applejack could hardly breathe but she didn't even care, she was so happy to be back with her family and friends.

The next few hours where a rush, getting to the Ponyville hospital, getting their injuries checked out, and getting their well-deserved meal, and sleep. In fact, it wasn't till the next morning that they were able to tell their story, family and friends gathered around there hospital beds. Once they had explained what had happened, minus the story about Applejack's parents, she wasn't quite ready to share it yet. Everyone agreed that AJ was the bravest pony around, and that Fluttershy was a proper hero, something she didn't hear very often. She mumbled and blushed, and Pinkie threw a 'Super Duper Best Hero and Bravest Pony' party.


End file.
